Is the Ooni Koda 2 Max Pizza Oven worth $1,399? My parents use it weekly. Here's their honest review
The Ooni Koda 2 Max Pizza Oven is a larger-than-life outdoor pizza oven with endless cooking possibilities — but is it worth $1,399?
Would you spend $1,399 on an outdoor pizza oven? My parents own the Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas-Powered Pizza Oven: a culinary powerhouse with two independently controlled cooking zones, a generous design with enough space for up to three 10" pizzas and a powerful burner reaching up to 950°F. The Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven is Ooni's largest pizza oven yet and can make restaurant-quality pizzas in as little as 60 seconds. But is it worth the money? Here's an honest review of the pizza oven — and a few words of wisdom for those looking to buy.
Is this family-sized pizza oven worth the investment? Here's an honest review.
- It's sleek
- It's easy to clean
- It's great for large groups
- It makes delicious pizzas
- Ooni’s customer service is exemplary
- It's messy
- It's expensive
- It uses a lot of propane
Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven: The details
While pizza is its biggest draw, the Ooni Koda 2 Max can cook just about anything you can barbecue. As Ooni's largest oven yet, there's more than enough room to experiment with roasted vegetables, hearth-baked bagels, steak, chicken, focaccia and more.
The Ooni has two independently controlled temperature zones for versatility. Just like a dual-zone air fryer allows for quicker meal prep, the Ooni's two independently controlled gas burners mean you can conquer more at mealtime. The high-tech oven even has an accompanying Ooni Connect app, which allows users to sync their oven to their phones to monitor how pre-heating is going and keep an eye on the temperature.
The gas-powered pizza oven comes in two options: one to connect to a propane tank and one that can be connected to your home's natural gas line. The propane-powered unit cannot be converted to use with natural gas — something to keep in mind when selecting your oven.
Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven: Review
👍 Why it's great
It's easy to set up: Off the bat, the set-up was straightforward — and fast! Beyond screwing on its legs, the Ooni Koda 2 Max arrives ready to cook. Once connected to your natural gas line or propane tank, it takes roughly 30 minutes to heat up to 950°F/500°C.
Anyone can use it, but there's a learning curve: If you can operate a barbecue, you can use an Ooni. The pizza oven is as convenient as a gas grill, and once you learn how to use it, it's nearly as versatile as one. That said, there is definitely a learning curve to the Ooni. Learning how to control the heat between the stones and the side burners takes time. If the side burners are too hot, the outside of the dough will burn before the bottom of the pizza cooks. For the best results, it's recommended to heat the stone to around 700°F and then turn the burners down to 400-500°F so that it cooks evenly.
It's great for groups: The Koda 2 Max is best for larger groups or spaces where more people can use it. If you share the keys of your cottage with family or regularly play host, the size of the Koda 2 Max is ideal. Once it gets going, it can cook pizzas in as little as 60 seconds, so no one is waiting too long for their food. However, if you only plan to cook one pizza at a time, you might be better off with one of Ooni's smaller options, like the Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven.
It makes delicious pizzas: Once you figure out what you're doing, the Ooni makes seriously good pizzas. Within 60-90 seconds, you can enjoy delicious, perfectly cooked (and restaurant-quality!) pies.
It's sleek: The Ooni Koda 2 Max is huge, so it helps that it looks good. It measures 31.5" x 28.43" x 16.85" (80cm x 72.2cm x 42.8cm) and 95 lbs when unboxed. If you're limited on outdoor space, just remember that with the Ooni Modular Table, the Ooni Koda Max 2 is around the size of a small BBQ.
Ooni's customer service is exemplary: When the pizza oven arrived, the packing material looked a bit rough and inside, there was a large dent on the top of the oven. While that was a bit of a bummer (especially since the oven itself took a long time to arrive), Ooni's customer service is next-level good. They offered to send an entirely new unit, but since the oven was safe to use despite the dent, my dad accepted several free accessories instead of a new oven. Their customer service team was prompt, efficient and wonderful to interact with. They have a "great pizza guarantee" for a good reason; if you don't love your oven, they're there to help.
✋ Room for improvement
The outside weather plays a big role: While the pizza oven gets HOT (950°F/500°C hot), the outside temperature does impact what it can do. If it's cold outside, the oven has trouble heating up to its full capacity. In mid-fall weather, it struggles to get hotter than 750°F. Additionally, the flames jump around when there's a breeze outside. If you're cooking in an open space without a lot of wind protection, it's something you'll want to keep in mind.
It uses a lot of propane: In our experience, the Ooni uses more propane than a barbecue, likely because it takes so long to heat up. It takes roughly 30 minutes to heat up to 950°F, so a 20lb propane tank will only last you between 6-8 pizzas. If you have an outdoor gas hookup, it would be more convenient than using a propane tank.
It's messy: You can expect quite a bit of dust while cooking, especially if you're generously coating your Ooni Pizza Peel with flour or corn meal (my parents found corn meal sticks less). That said, it requires very few dishes, so the clean-up isn't terrible.
Accessories are extra: The Ooni Koda 2 Max only includes the gear you need for the pizza oven; all accessories, including the pizza peel and Cover for the Ooni Koda 2 Max, are extra. For nearly $1,400, you would expect it to come with at least a few accessories. If you want a unit with all the accessories included, you can opt for the Ooni Koda 2 Max Outdoor Kitchen Bundle.
Ooni Pizza Peel
Cover for Ooni Koda 2 Max
Ooni Modular Table - Large
Ooni Koda 2 Max Outdoor Kitchen Bundle
Is the Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven worth it?
The Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven is a sleek and powerful pizza oven, but more than that, it's a versatile cooking device that, thanks to its two independently controlled temperature zones, can make an array of entrees and desserts. While the Ooni itself is a great product, it's the brand's customer service that deserves extra praise. They're extremely attentive and responsive, which is exactly what you want for a $1,400 pizza oven. While the oven itself is stellar, the accessories you need are not included and are rather steep, something to keep in mind while placing your order.
Shop the Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven in Canada:
If you love pizza, the Ooni Koda 2 Max Gas Powered Pizza Oven is well worth the investment.
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